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ANU Philosophy to Reach a Global Audience

Wednesday 27 September 2017

Next year, the ANU School of Philosophy will host production of the third season of Barry Lam’s celebrated podcast, Hi-Phi Nation. Hi-Phi Nation is the world’s first story-driven podcast about philosophy. It brings together narrative nonfiction, journalism, philosophy, and sound design. Each episode uncovers the questions and ideas that lie behind the stories we hear. For example, when should we respect the wishes of the dead? Is there room for morality in war? What is the nature and significance of love? Lam, who is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Vassar College, offers accessible and engaging insights into how philosophy makes sense of our everyday life.

Hi-Phi Nation is the first podcast to bring highly-produced, philosophically-driven stories to a mass audience. In its first season alone, it garnered a worldwide listenership of 300,000. With its second season now in production, Hi-Phi Nation has drawn widespread attention in the media and has received glowing reviews in Slate’s Culture Gabfest, the Guardian, and the Huffington Post.

Bringing Hi-Phi Nation to Canberra is one part of the ANU School of Philosophy’s strategy of extending philosophy beyond the seminar room, to achieve its broader mission of bringing the best philosophical ideas to a public audience. For example, Professor Christian Barry, from the School of Philosophy, is part of the team behind the new ABC educational series, Ethics Matters, and a series of podcasts based on the themes of that program. Dr Rachael Brown, Director of the Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences, will soon be contributing to a fortnightly segment on NSW radio.